i bought a three word call to action .com domain name via DropCatch.com at the end of 2017. I don’t think the domain name had much traffic shortly after acquiring it. All of a sudden, my domain name has been getting a considerable amount of traffic. I have also been getting phone calls and emails via the domain name inquiry form.
People who contacted me seemed to want to register or ask questions about their product. I could not understand why they were visiting my domain name, but a couple of people provided enough information that I was able to figure out what was happening.
From what I could tell, people bought a product and they were directed to register their product using a call to action domain name that is similar to my domain name. The first word has an “s” at the or of it, and my domain name is the singular without the “s.” People were confusing the product’s call to action domain name, which was registered several months ago, with my domain name.
Although my parked domain name has been getting traffic, it has not earned all that much revenue. Unfortunately, I probably paid more in calls to my toll free number than I earned in PPC revenue! I ended up taking down the phone number from the top of the PPC page because people assumed it was for them to register their product.
I am sure I could do more to monetize the domain name, but I am not super comfortable with things like zero click landing pages, email/lead capture, or other types of modernization beyond PPC.
It’s always interesting when something like this happens. I wish I would get fewer phone calls though!
well good for you. you sound like a fu’kn genius.
No, bud, you sounds like the smart guy. I’m sure it suits you well.
I have a similar one that is actually pointed to one of our businesses. I regularly receive emails that are intended for others, who have a similar, but hyphenated name to my own. Each time this happens, I reply, explaining that they have the wrong company and that perhaps the address is the hyphenated one.
I have received a few emails from the other company apologising for their users’ errors. They haven’t yet been brave enough to ask me about selling the domain name in question, but I’d be receptive if they did.
This has happened to me before also. It fizzled out after a while thanfully. It just never makes sense why anyone fills out a form or calls on a lage that says for sale lol
You could set up some independent analytics service and then promote the name to the with-s domain owner, showing them how much traffic they lose/troubled customers.
If the domain is “GetRedSoxTix”, count me in 🙂 Hope to see you at Fenway for a few games this year as the Sox will defend the crown,
I call it a spike. Could be a rerun of a commercial or a typo of the product with a similar name that was being advertised at that time or perhaps over the radio, with or without the “the” or including the call to action word here or there. It will last a couple days and then die down. Best would be to put it to a PPC page and collect the clicks which will more than cover cost or renewal and perhaps pay for a lunch. Also if you have a BIN price, increase it by 20 – 50%.
I went to the store where it is sold and see it. Their url is on the product and it is also on the sales sheet shared by employees. I had to look twice before I noticed the subtle difference. My name makes more sense, which is likely why it is confusing.
so the funniest part is when you try to explain, and it seems to go right over their head.
customer Hi i need a replacement for my spatula
page – thank you for calling i just own this domain name, we dont have an operating website
customer – do you know when i can have a replacement mailed.
page – were not the company you think, we dont have operations at all
customer – do you know where i can get a replacement…….
page – oh what the heck, ok we’ll mail one out to you tomorrow, thank you for calling.
🙂
LOL… exactly.